


Philia (or, Guys Being Dudes)

by SweetPollyOliver



Series: Let me take care of you [1]
Category: The Witcher (TV)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Companion Piece, M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love, POV Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Pre-Slash, Prequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:08:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22976692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetPollyOliver/pseuds/SweetPollyOliver
Summary: Jaskier keeps getting Geralt out of his clothes and then leaving him be. He needs to put a stop to this. At some point.A companion piece to Balineum from Geralt's POV.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Series: Let me take care of you [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1651168
Comments: 10
Kudos: 216





	Philia (or, Guys Being Dudes)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Quellier](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quellier/gifts).



> Quellier requested a version of Balineum from Geralt's POV, so here it is! Just a short prequel rather than a note for note retelling, but I hope that it pleases.

Every time it happened he meant to put an end to it. It would be easy: just snarl about how he didn't need to be washed like a dog who'd rolled in shit or rubbed down like a horse and Jaskier would stop. It's not as though he was careful to spare the bard's feelings in other matters — why start now? Privately, he had to admit to himself that the rather pathetic state of affairs was that he liked it too much to put a stop to it.

At first he thought that maybe Jaskier was working his nerve up. The bard always smelled faintly of arousal around him, an almost spicy scent underneath the smell of his soap, but Geralt was starting to come to the conclusion that perhaps Jaskier was always just a little bit turned on and it had nothing to do with him. It would explain a lot. His poor decision making when it came to sleeping with women married to men who could snap him like a dried out wishbone for one. Which, come to think of it, gave even less credence to the notion that Jaskier wanted him but was taking his time. The man had never met a seduction he couldn't run through in the space of a single conversation.

The much more likely explanation was that it was all completely innocent. He, for reasons best known to himself, wanted to see Geralt well looked after and had no objection to doing so himself. Because he thought of him as a friend.

So there he was, naked with another man's hands on him and absolutely no prospect of getting fucked. Again. He sighed.

"Oh don't fuss," Jaskier said and went back to scrubbing his back.

"Yes, mother," he replied and Jaskier pinched him.

This was completely untenable.

Jaskier was singing softly now and tracing lines between the network of scars on his back. He would switch between snatches of verses relevant to each one and when he'd reach a new one, still reddened and angry looking, pause, tapping gently with his index finger and try out lyrics to fit them.

" _The raging creature's maw, still sharper than its claws-_ no that's no good... hmm."

"The water's getting cold," Geralt groused.

"So heat it up, Mr. Witcher," Jaskier replied, moving on to scrub the vulnerable skin on his right flank. "You have, I will remind you, that power."

Geralt sighed again. Jaskier dragged callous toughened fingertips against his ribs. Fuck.

He was going to have to put a stop to this. Next time.


End file.
